IF anyone still had any doubts about the limitations of this Internazionale side, they would not have been dispelled after watching them scrape to a dull draw with the champions Juventus at San Siro on Saturday.
The side who visit Manchester United for a Champions League quarter-final first-leg on Wednesday played true to form: suspect in defence, error ridden in midfield and so unproductive in attack that the Juventus goalkeeper Angel Peruzzi had to make only two serious saves.
In the continuing absence of the injured Ronaldo, Inter had opened up with the three-man front-line that seems sure to take the field against United - namely Roberto Baggio playing wide of Youri Djorkaeff and Ivan Zamorano. It was Baggio, too, who enlivened an otherwise tedious first half with by far the best moment of the match when he went on a run down the left, leaving Antonio Conte, Alessandro Birindelli and finally Ciro Ferrara on their backsides before sending in a tempting cross.
In the second half, too, Inter's best moment had come from the feet of Baggio who turned sharply on a ball 45 yards out and laid on the perfect through pass for Nicola Ventola (on for Zamorano), only to see Peruzzi come swiftly off his line to make an excellent save. Minutes later, it was his opposite number Gianluca Pagliuca who was forced into heroics against Filippo Inzaghi, on for Juan Esnaider.
Not for the first time, Inter had given the ball away all too easily in midfield when Andrea Pirlo was dispossessed - perhaps fouled - allowing Didier Deschamps to send Inzaghi away. Left with only Pagliuca to beat, the Juventus striker seemed to become mesmerised by the Inter goalkeeper, hitting his shot low and straight at him.
In truth, a late Juventus win would have been unfair. For all that Inter were unimpressive, Juventus were no better with Esnaider and Thierry Henry looking disoriented and both the World Cup winners, Zinedine Zidane and Deschamps, being some way short of their best.
Speaking after the game, Inter's Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu looked on the bright side. "I'm satisfied because my lads showed themselves to be in good condition. In the first half Juventus had more possession and we were a bit nervous but in the second we were in control and we dominated. With four days to go to the Champions League, you can say that both Inter and Juventus are back in business and this draw is both a help and a comfort to us."
In truth, the biggest possible comfort to Inter, namely Ronaldo, was sitting in the stand watching with the rest of the 80,000 audience. Unfortunately the grandstand is where you are likely to find him on Wednesday night.
INTERNAZIONALE: Pagliuca; Colonnese, Simic, Galante; Zanetti, Cauet, Simeone, Winter; Baggio, Djorkaeff (Pirlo, 62min), Zamorano (Ventola,69).
JUVENTUS: Peruzzi; Birindelli, Tudor, Ferrara, Mirkovic (Di Livio, 89); Conte, Deschamps, Davids; Zidane; Esnaider (Inzaghi, 60), Henri (Fonseca, 75).
